Letting Love Find a Way
by AnonyWriter
Summary: The Grand Festival is near, but Haruka and Shu have some emotional problems to handle. Meanwhile, a new gang of thugs is emerging in Sinnoh, with unknown motives.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I would simply like to point out why I use the Japanese names, rather than English. It's quite simple, really: I can't stand the Pokemon characters English voices. As I write, I imagine them talk as I write, and when I use the English names, I imagine English voice actors. When I use Japanese names, I imagine the Japanese voices. To anyone who can't stand Japanese names, I am sorry.

* * *

Chapter one:

Haruka walked into the pokecenter with her latest ribbon in hand. It was her last one for the Sinnoh region and the Grand Festival was tomorrow. She couldn't wait. She had tried her luck at the Sinnoh Grand Festival when she was 14, however was unable to collect all 5 ribbons in time. This time, four years later, she knew for sure she would win it all. As she put her ribbon back into her ribbon case, she looked at the 6 foot human-like chicken pokemon next to her.

"Okay, Blaziken. Lets find a place to stay for tonight and get some rest." Blaziken replied to her with its name. She walked to the front desk for Nurse Jōi. "Excuse me, Nurse Joi, are there any rooms available tonight?" The nurse turned to look at the board of keys, showing all of the available rooms.

"You're in luck. It would appear as though we have one more. It's the Grand Festival, you know." Joi stated as she handed the last room key to Haruka.

"I do!" Haruka said enthusiastically. "I'll be competing in it!"

"Really, now? If that's the case, you should leave your pokèmon here overnight. I'm sure you'll be doing lots of training, and they'll need to be in tip top condition before doing so." May nodded her head in agreement. She reached into her pack and pulled out four pokéballs, each containing the partners she'd obtained over her journey, then handed them over.

"I'll leave Blaziken and Glaceon with me." she said. "Never hurts to get some light, late night training."

"Sounds great! They'll be ready for pick-up in the morning. Have a good night!"

"You too!" With that, May and her Blaziken departed the center and headed off to the Pokèmon Park across the street. It was an open area, with nothing more than a few bushes, trees, benches, and lamp posts lighting the way. It was meant to serve as a training ground for trainers who wanted to train for the Hearthrome gym, but at night it was always quiet.

The night was cool, with a light wind blowing softly. A full moon that seemed exceptionally close shone brightly. There were no clouds, giving full credit to the stars. Haruka reveled in the perfect night, letting the wind caress her face. Her moment of peace was interrupted by a call from her Blaziken, attempting to get her attention.

"Sorry, Blaziken. I'm just so excited. This year, I think we're finally gonna win it!" She confided, enthusiastically. Blaziken nodded in agreement. Haruka pulled out her last pokéball from her pack. She threw the capsule into the air. "Glaceon, come on out!"

The capsule opened, releasing a burst of red laser-like lights, which formed into a light blue, fox-like pokemon.

"Glaceon." The creature mewed. It looked up to its trainer, waiting for its command. Haruka looked at the two pokemon.

"Okay, guys, I think we're going to try THAT move tomorrow, so we need lots of practice!" She gave a sigh, as she thought of the task ahead of her. "Are you guys ready?" Unsurprisingly, they both called their own names in excitement. "Okay, lets go!"

The rest of the night, Haruka continued to work hard with Blaziken and Glaceon.

* * *

Shu roamed the city of Hearthrome. He was not in the best of moods. He hated weather like this: Breezy, icky weather. He traveled through it, in attempts to return to his room at the Pokèmon Center. He'd been staying there for 2 weeks already, even though most coordinators had been arriving this week, or today even. He didn't want to waste any time traveling. He had wanted to put everything he had into training. It was the Sinnoh Grand Festival, after all, which seemed to bring the more stronger coordinators for some odd reason. He had concluded that it was due to the different nature of the contest, being more formal, as well as more challenging. This was why he had to train. He planned to win the Grand Festval once more, having already conquered the Unova Festival exactly one year prior. He would continue his streak.

Shu continued through the city. He heard a voice calling his name.

"Shu! Woohoo! Shuuuu!" sang a familiar voice. The voice itself cause Shu to tense his shoulders. He slowly turned around, praying his mind was playing games. It wasn't.

"Harley." He said through his teeth.

"Don't be so tense, love! It's only me!" Harley gave Shu a pat on his shoulder. "Woooow, you've gotten so taaaall!" Shu simply glared as Harley rambled on. "New hair, new clothes, it's been so long since I've seen you, and now you're all grown up!"

It was true. It's been a little under a year since they'd parted their ways. In that time, Drew switched his turquoise pants for kakis, and traded his plain purple shirt for a polo of the same color. He kept his long sleeved black compression shirt and shoes, however, feeling as though they were essential. His hair was cut above his eyebrows and styled. Unfortunately, however, his hair had grown since he'd last dyed his hair, making his natural brown roots slightly visible. He'd grown much since their last meeting, seemingly hitting his last growth spurt quite late. Now at the grown age of 18, he was a full 5'11, his height even rivaling Harley's. He was quite proud of it, having always been self-conscious of his height.

Harley himself didn't change much since the younger years. He still wore his Cacturne outfit and had his hair dyed the same shade of purple. The only real difference is that his long hair was tied loosely in the back, giving him somewhat more of a fancy look, if possible.

As Harley continued to analyze him, Shu slowly lost interest in the conversation. He rolled his eyes and explored his escape routes. Then, Harley said something that grabbed his attention.

"...At this point you MUST have a girlfriend right?" He questioned innocently. Shu knew Harley was simply looking for some type of leverage over him; a weak spot. Over the years, Harley's desires to conquer had driven him to put more into villainous antics. Drew decided not to amuse him.

"What?" He said. Harley shrugged.

"Or boyfriend, if that's what you're into." He gave Shu another pat. "You know Harley isn't here to judge you!" Shu glared, clearly unamused.

"I'm single, Harley." He answered. "I don't have time to look for that sort of thing." Before Harley had a chance to reply, Shu's back was already towards him, walking away.

"Lighten up, love! Haven't you heard? 'All work and no play makes Shu a dull boy!'(cit: quote from The Shining by Stephan King)". Shu ignored him, continuing to walk away.

Finally, Harley's voice was drowned out. As if the weather weren't enough, Harley seemed to put more of a weight on Shu's mood. He scowled as he finally arrived at the Pokèmon Center. He reached for the handle when a new voice caught his attention.

He turned to the street, seeing the park. Shu's eyes widened as he saw a roaring display of fire and ice. He knew it must be a coordinator. His eye twitched. Is THAT what he would have to face during the Grand Festival? For the first time, in the split seconds that he saw this, he questioned his ability to win this contest.

He looked around for a trainer. He had to see the coordinator that was capable of mustering up such a display. His line of vision was blocked by the fire, however. He continued to watch, waiting for the show to settle down.

Suddenly, the fire seemed to consume too much ice. The performance that had held so much power and balance, had lost the latter quality.

"Blaziken! Blaziken, too much, too much!" A muffled female voice came.

Indeed it was. The fire that this Blaziken lost control of began feeding upon the nature. The tree was now on fire, causing the Mothim surrounding the tree to fly away.

"Oh no! Oh, no, oh, nooo!" The trainer was clearly panicked. Shu pulled a pokéball from his belt.

"Sawsbuck, come out and use rain dance!" He ordered, tossing the capsule. From it, emerged a deer pokemon, it's antlers covered in brown and red leaves. Sawsbuck obeyed its trainer, putting out the fire, saving the lives of Burmy still in the tree. He stroked the head of his pokemon, thanking it, before looking up to see what trainer who managed to put up such an amazing performance could possibly lose control like that. Again, Shu's eyes widened. In front of him was the site of his rival comforting her Blaziken for its dangerous mistake.

"Haruka?" He was shocked. She was the trainer who caused him to question himself?Haruka seemed just as shocked to see him.

"Shu!" She smiled. " Shu! It's you!" She rushed to him and looked at his pokemon. She seemed intimidated by it. "Is this a new friend?" Shu nodded.

"I caught Sawsbuck in Unova. I had him in the PC for awhile, but I figured he'd be good for the Grand Festival."

Haruka timidly reached to pet him. She admitted she was slightly frightened. This pokemon seemed to be so majestic, so powerful that she felt as though she were attempting to touch royalty itself.

"Saws." The pokemon stated in approval. She pet him and looked up at Shu.

"So you'll be completing in the festival, huh?" She asked.

"Well, naturally. Why else would I be here?" He stated, leaning against a park bench.

For the first time, Haruka looked at him. He always seems to change so much everytime she saw him. It had only been two months since their last meeting, but already he'd changed significantly. Stubble darkened the bottom half of his face. He's lost the baby fat that made his face bigger, leaving it to appear more slim and squared. He looked much more mature this way. His shoulders were much more broad, another addition to his masculinity. One thing that failed to change, however was his seemingly critical, teasing nature.

"You lost control." He stated simply. Haruka's shoulders slumped. She looked down in shame. Shu noticed her immediate change in expression. He noted the way her hair caressed her face. "Never lose control."

"It was a new technique, I...I just kinda..." She trailed off, not knowing what to say. Shu smirked.

"It just needs some practice is all. But for now, you'll need rest." He looked around, then his roaming eyes settled on a building. "Lets go get some dinner. My treat." Haruka grinned.

"Really?" He nodded. "There's a nice restaurant right over there, next to the Pokèmon center." He pulled out Sawsbuck's pokéball and called it back. May did the same with each of her own pokemon, giving them each praise for their hard work. By the time she had her pokéballs back in her pack, Shu was already half way across the street. She caught up to him when he opened the door.

"Do you like sushi and dumplings?" Shu asked as they found their table.

"I do!" She picked up a sushi menu and examined it.

Shu stared at her. Even after the few minutes after their meeting, he was still shocked at how much Haruka had grown as a coordinator. He remembered back to the day he'd met her, how inexperienced she was. Now she was giving Shu a run for his money. It wasn't the first time she'd surprised him though. Throughout the 8 years they'd known each other, she managed to beat him quite a few times.

"Shu?" Haruka called, getting his attention.

"Hm?"

"What are you thinking about?" She asked the question so casually, it was as though they did outing like this once a week.

"Nothing, just some coordinating stuff." he replied. She sighed.

"Shu, not everything is about coordinating, you know. Relax, why don't ya?" She placed her hand over his and shook it a little, before letting go.

"Relaxing is what caused you to lose control back there." He teased. Haruka glared.

"What was that, mister? What about that time your Pupitar's sandstorm drowned the whole pool in sand, at Johto?" She rebutted. Shu blushed.

"Well, I supposed every coordinator makes mistakes, sometimes..." He admitted.

"And what can I do for you two, this lovely night?" interrupted the waitress.

"Oh! Uhhh..." Haruka continued to make her order. When she was finished, Shu closed his menu.

"I'll just have what she has." he said. The waitress nodded, as she wrote on her pad.

"Alright, I'll have that out in about 10 minutes!" She informed, walking away.

Shu looked at Haruka, who was fiddling with her thumbs. He'd noticed that was a habit she seemed to pick up somewhere along Unova. Everytime she was thinking, she'd play with her thumbs. It was quite cute, he noted.

"Nervous?" he asked. Haruka looked up.

"No, just kinda thinking about something."

"Coordinating?" Haruka glared.

"No, not 'coordinating'. Seriously, Shu, don't you think about things other than coordinating?" She criticized. Shu shrugged.

"Not really. What else is there?" he questioned. Haruka resumed playing with her thumbs.

"Like...dating?" If Shu had been drinking something, he was sure he'd spit it out. The idea of dating was the absolute last thing on his mind at the moment. Not that he hasn't thought of it before. He knew he had a crush on Haruka, since they were kids even. He didnt bother hiding it either, making it a point to give her a rose every time he felt she deserved one.

"Dating..." he repeated. She nodded. "Are you interested in anyone?" Another nod. "Is this person someone I know?" He expected her to nod. After all, who does she know that he doesn't? She always talked about the people she met. She shook her head this time. He was taken aback.

"My boyfriend. He-"

"I'm sorry, you're what?" He asked. More thumb fiddling.

"Ah, Yuki, my boyfriend...you don't know him..." Shu felt pained. He wasn't quite sure why he was surprised. Haruka was 18 now. She'd grown up quite well, even. Over the years, she'd lost the time to cut her hair, so she simply let it grow out, only cutting and styling her bangs and the sides. Her body remained slim and fit and even at the young age of ten, he knew her breasts would one day be the attraction of many men. Not too big, not too small, perky. He always mentally slapped himself when he found himself staring as they grew older.

"And you're bringing him up, why?" he asked, a little more harsh than intended. She didnt seem to notice.

"Well, he's coming tomorrow. We'd actually started dating about a year now, but most of it is long distance, because I travel a lot. But I've known him since we were kids, and I've kinda been crushing on him long before." The more she talked, the more he became annoyed.

"What's this got to do with me?" he grumbled. Her shoulders slumped.

"I just..kinda wanted to ask you something." She looked serious. "If you were in a relationship, would you do anything to make your girlfriend happy?" She asked. Shu thought back to all of the times he worked hard to impress Haruka and went put of his way to care for her.

"Yes." he answered. "I would. I'm with her cause I love her right? And she'd do the same for me, right? So naturally, I'd do anything to make her happy." Haruka smiled sadly.

"Thanks."

The waitress returned with their food and drinks. After assuring her there was nothing

more she could do for them, she went off to wait other tables. Shu returned to their conversation.

"Why do you ask?"

"Oh, uhm...Yuki is feeling he can't really handle a long distance relationship anymore..." She confided, as she slowly ate her food.

"So he wants to break up?" he guessed. Haruka shook her head.

"He wants me to retire from coordinating."

"What?" He was shocked. What type of boyfriend would ask their girlfriend to give up something she loved so much? Something she'd put her life into?

"I mean, it'd be okay, right? You said it yourself, you'd do anything to make your girlfriend happy. Shu didn't know what to say. He had just convinced Haruka to give up coordinating; to give up her dream.

"Haruka, maybe this is a little different."

"Not really though." The two sat in silence for a few moments. They both thought of the same thing: their lives without her coordinating. If she didn't coordinate, she wouldn't see Shu as much, maybe not at all. What would happen the their friendship?Their rivalry?

"He'll be here tomorrow, to see my last Grand Festival, then we'll be going back to Hoenn."

,Shu was angry. She never told him she had a boyfriend. All this time, almost a year, and he didn't know a single thing about this boy. Then, suddenly she tells him that she'll be going away to live her life as some house-wife. He attempted to picture Haruka in an apron, cooking food, as a young, thin, dark faced man came in, wearing a hat and glasses. 'Honey, I'm home!' he'd say. Shu felt shivers down his spine as he imagined it.

"What does he do? Is he a trainer?" Shu questioned. At the very least, he could

"He works with his father, Dr. Odamaki, as a research assistant." She replied. Shu's eyes widened.

"THE Dr. Odamaki?" May nodded. "How do you know him?"

"My father and him are good friends. They would visit a lot or we would go to see them. Yuki and I would always stray and play somewhere." Shu didn't say anything. He often forgot that Haruka was the daughter of Senri Tanaka, a famous gym leader in Hoenn. Of course he'd have connections. He ate the last of his sushi, enjoying the spicy taste, as the waitress set their bill on the table and thanked them.

Haruka sighed, having finished her meal already. She was sure she upset him. His reaction was understandable, as well. After all, if he told her he had a girlfriend after all this time, she'd be pretty upset as well. She was never able to bring herself to tell him, though. She didn't know why. Every time she'd attempted to tell him before, she felt as though she was lying or doing something bad.

She wasn't sure what the future would bring. Tomorrow, it would change and she didn't know where Shu fell. Would they still talk as much as they did? They never called, so the most they chatted was when they saw each other. She wasn't even sure if Shu had a way to communicate. She thought of the few times they'd spent together outside of contests. They way they just sorta talked.

"I like when we do this" Haruka piped up, sharing her thoughts.

"Do what?" Shu asked her.

"This. Just kinda hang out. It's nice." Shu stood up and set his money on the table.

"It is getting late. You need rest for the Grand Festival tomorrow." he said. "Come on."

* * *

The two arrived in front of Haruka's room door. She smiled.

"Thanks for bringing me to my room." Shu smirked.

"What are you talking about? I didn't walk you to your room. I was just walking to my room and you just happened to follow me." He pointed to a door across the hall. "It's right there."

"Shu!" She playfully hit his arm.

"Hey, I'm not the one jumping to conclusions here." he defended.

"Still!" she said, grinning. He watched as her grin slowly turned into a frown. "Shu..." He looked up, into her eyes, her deep blue eyes full of worry and concern, before she looked down, fiddling with her thumbs. "Shu, is all that connects us to each other our coordinating? Our rivalry?"

Shu was unprepared for this question. He didn't know what to make of it.

"What do you mean?"

"If I stop coordinating...does that mean you and I will just forget about each other? Marry other people and refer to each other as "that kid I used to try to beat?" Shu looked at her for a moment. At that angle, she was nothing less than perfect: he brow creased in worry, her eyes filled with concern, her bottom lip poking out in a small pout, her hair caressing her face. 'Any artist' he thought 'should be excited to catch this picture right here.'

"Haruka, over the years we've known each other, we've become more than rivals. Rivalry was always an aspect of our relationship, but we are friends. Nothing will change that." He assured. Haruka smiled. She walked closer to him and wrapped her arms around him.

Shu didn't know how to react. She'd hugged him before, but he would always freeze up. He decided to wrap an arm around her.

"Thank you, Shu..." She told him. "Good night. And good luck tomorrow." With that, she turned into her own room and closed the door. He turned and did the same, before pressing his back to the door and letting out a sigh.

"Nothing will change that..." He muttered to himself.

* * *

A/N:

This is the first chapter, the exposition. So most of the characters have been introduced now. I'd like to point out that this is not solely romance, but is also action. Furthermore, in later chapters, there may be a couple scenes that will cause me to bump up rating to Rated M. Heavy Criticism is welcome. Thank you.

extra note: I may change or edit this chapter soon.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This is a little longer than I planned. Sorry if its boring. The next chapter is where everything starts to come into place.

* * *

Chapter two:

Haruka waited by Amity Square for Yuki's arrival. She had asked Shu to join her, however he turned her down, telling her that he'd wanted to train before the contest. Haruka sighed. She was nervous. Although she and Yuki had been together for almost a year, they had never spent more than a few days or a week together. This time, once she saw him, she would probably rarely be without him.

She was beginning to regret not pleading harder for Shu to come with her despite his clear desire not to go. She felt as though he would know just what to say to calm her down, even if he did say it while rolling his eyes and teasing her.

Haruka sat on the bench. She thought back to all the years she'd spent with Yuki. She remembered when he saved her life from that wild Mightyena. That's when she promised herself she'd marry him. Of course, it was only a child's silly idea, but she took it very seriously, just like all of her promises. She knew he had liked her at the time, it was the least she could do to repay him. She really did love him, but over the course of her journey, she'd found herself having feelings for Shu. Even then, however, she never thought of the idea of being with him until the night Saori told her Shu liked her. She had dismissed the idea of Shu actually liking her a few weeks after, but her feelings towards him always seemed to linger.

She remembered the nights where she had convinced herself that she didn't like him; the nights that she stayed up naming all the negative aspects of him: the weird green hair dye he colored his hair, the way he seemed to think of nothing but coordinating, the way he always pointed out her mistakes. But she always seemed to find ways to justify them. Green was the color of grass, his favorite type of pokemon. It was a way to display his connection to his favored type. And he didnt always think about coordinating, he thought about other stuff, too. Like the well being of his friends and his journey. He would always point out her mistakes because he wanted to help her improve. He praised her a lot, too. And yet, even then, she finally managed to convince herself she was over him. Her heart chose Yuki. And it did...until she saw Shu again and would have to start the process all over.

Haruka always thought it was just because she hadn't spent enough time with Yuki. Perhaps any feelings she had for Shu would go away completely once she was reunited with Yuki. Hopefully she was right. She looked up to the sky and saw a green, dinosaur like pokemon. She recognized it immediately: it was Yuki's Tropius. It appeared as though he would still have about five minutes before he'd arrive, however. She couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips. Although worried, she was excited for her boyfriend's arrival.

"What's gotten into you?" a voice came. Haruka turned, finding herself face to face with Shu along with his Sawsbuck and the Arcanine he caught in Johto.

"Shu? I thought you were doing some last minute training." He shrugged.

"We finished early." He stated simply. She smiled. She understood that was just his way of saying that he had come to support her. His eyes roamed the streets. "Where is this guy anyway?" He asked. Haruka pointed to the moving figure in the sky.

"That's him. He's flying in on his Tropius."

"Flashy much?"

"He can be sometimes. I think you two will get along." Shu glared.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She didn't answer. He followed her gaze to Tropius.

"Harukaaaaa!" The man called loudly. He was close enough to see that this man was grinning.

"Yuki!" She called back, excited. Shu scowled. Tropius's wings caused a whirlwind, causing Sawsbuck to grunt in disapproval. Being a grass type, it had low tolerance for flying types, especially ones that were currently causing such a whirlwind. It retreated back behind Arcanine. Shu had no problem understanding Sawsbuck's discomfort. The wild torrent of wind was bothering him as well.

Finally, the Tropius landed. Haruka rushed into the boy's arms.

"Haruka! It's been awhile!" he said, holding her. Shu noticed Yuki's attempt to kiss her, but Haruka pulled away, gesturing towards Shu.

For the first time, Shu finally got a look at the well built boy standing next to Haruka. His shirt hid nothing less than what he assumed Haruka to think was God- like. 'What was he to her?' He thought of himself, as he compared his own body to this strangers. 'A mere mortal?' The only muscle he had was the natural muscle he gained from his travels. He never had time to hit the gym, as this boy clearly did. He was no fighter. He was just some scrawny boy. Even Haruka herself seemed to look almost goddess like, as she stood next to Yuki. Shu's scowl grew as he noticed his red, white, and black clothes. He looked at Haruka.

"Matching outfits?" He said, almost sickened. Haruka blushed.

"Oh, well, Yuki makes my clothes, as well as his own, so..." She trailed off. Shu continued to analyze him: black hair that covered his eyes, covered by an ugly white stocking-like hat, red eyes (clearly contacts), and the palest skin Shu had ever seen.

It occurred to Shu that Yuki was also analyzing him.

"So," Yuki started. "You must be Shu?"

"Yes." He did not want to interact with this boy anymore than required. Yuki seemed pleased.

"Let's battle!" He declared, pulling a pokéball from his bag.

"What?" She was shocked by the nerve of this guy. They only had a five minute meeting, and already he was asking for a rivalry.

"These are your pokemon, right? An Arcanine and a...what's that thing?" At this, Sawsbuck clicked its hoof in anger.

"Thing?" Shu said through his teeth. How dare he call his pokemon a "thing"! He glared at Haruka, nonverbally demanding that she do something with her own "thing". Unfortunately, she didn't seem to get the message, as she was fiddling with her thumbs. He veered his attention back to Yuki. "For a researcher's assistant you seem to know little about the Unova pokemon. This is a-"

"Oh, it's from Unova? I see! You're right, I don't know much about Unova pokemon." he admitted, laughing. Shu was sure his glare should have killed this young man by now. For he had just committed an act he considered of the utmost rudest: he interrupted him. "I have only explored and researched Hoenn, Kanto, Johto, and Sinnoh." Yuki walked around the Sawsbuck curiously. "So, this is a Unova pokemon, huh? It doesn't look that strong." Another angry click from Sawsbuck, accompanied by a grunt.

"Excuse me?" Shu seethed. Finally, Haruka seemed to take notice of Shu's anger.

"Well," Yuki started to explain. "I guess I'm just saying I can understand why you turned the battle down. Your pokemon wouldn't be able to handle it." Now Yuki had managed to piss Arcanine off as well, earning a growl. Finally, Haruka, taking notice to the three angry beings, jumped in.

"Yuki, you should know better than anyone that looks aren't always what they seem! Shu's pokemon are strong. They've even won him the ribbon cup once." She informed him. It was too late, however. Shu's anger did not subside.

"You know what? I don't have to take this. I have a contest to be at." With that, he turned on his heel and walked away, his pokemon following behind.

Haruka sighed. She'd forgotten how Yuki could be. He never meant any harm, but he never exactly got along with many people, being so sharing of his thoughts. She'd regretted asking Shu to come. She didn't want him angry, especially before the Grand Festival.

Yuki frowned.

"What was his problem? I don't understand." He asked Haruka. Haruka shook her head.

"He's just a little frustrated. The Grand Festival may've worried him." she assured him.

"Yeah...I guess..." Yuki said, as he watched Shu's back. He turned his full attention to Haruka. "So, Haruka, about what we talked about one the pokenav..."

Haruka felt a weight on her shoulders. She didn't want to discuss this. Not now, right before the Grand Festival.

"Yuki, can we talk about this later? The Grand Festival is starting soon and all I want to think about is what I plan to do." Yuki seemed disappointed. She could see he was eager to receive her confirmation of the topic. Nonetheless, he gave in.

"Alright. Later, then. In the meantime, let's get lunch." He suggested.

* * *

Shu was outraged. First, Haruka fails to mention she's had a boyfriend for the past year. Next, she tells him that said boyfriend is wanting her to quit contests and he practically sealed her decision. Then, he meets the guy, and finds out he's this super macho model who had the AUDACITY to insult him!

"Sawsbuck..." The deer pokemon called, attempting to get Shu's attention. Shu looked back at his two pokemon, glaring. He looked at them up and down, analyzing them.

"We'll show him..." he promised, before continuing on his way.

* * *

By the time Haruka got to the contest hall, the locker room was already crowded. All the contestants were seated at tables, where they awaited their turn. Haruka scanned the room, looking for a familiar face. Two popped up: Harley and Shu. From the looks of it, Shu was not pleased about the situation, his head being buried in his hands. She walked over to them, where Harley seemed to be the first to take notice.

"Well, well, if it isn't my little Lopunny," he said. Shu turned to look at Haruka and gave her a nod of his head. She sat in between the two of them, before giving them a look at.

"You both look nice." she complimented. Shu wore a long sleeved, white, button up shirt, underneath a black vest with gold buttons. He switched out his khakis for black slacks.

Harley flipped his bangs and gave her an arrogant look.

"Well, of course I do. I look absolutely fabulous!" he claimed. Harley had abandoned his hat, keeping his hair in a loose ponytail. He wore a black, ruffled, long sleeved shirt, underneath a burgundy vest and pants to match. Even Haruka couldn't deny, he didn't look half bad.

She herself had decided to keep it simple, wearing only a plain white, sleeveless dress, which stopped mid-thigh. She wondered if she were a little underdressed.

"So, how's it so far?" she asked, turning her attention to the contest stats. They all stared at the performance on the screen.

"Mitsuki's taking a lead so far, with a score of 29.3. Next, is Eiji. He's got a 29.0." Shu informed. "The Grand Festival is gonna be tricky this year." Harley nodded in agreement.

"I'm sure I won't have too much difficulty winning at all, however!" As he bragged, a girl timidly walked up to the group. The three turned towards her; only Harley seemed to know her.

"Oh! How'd your performance go, Hun?" he asked her, gleefully. She looked down in shame. Shu glared at Harley. The two had watched her horrible performance on the screen. Shu had questioned her ability to even make it to the Grand Festival with a display as lousy as that. But seeing her walk up to Harley, the same way Haruka had walked up to him so many years ago, he knew.

Her eyes filled with tears.

"I-I'm sorry! I think I had messed something up! And you worked so hard to help me..." she cried. Haruka was catching on, and it was now her turn to glare at the purple haired boy. Harley didn't seem to take any notice, however. He faked a sympathetic look.

"Oh, Darling, it's okay. You'll do better next year, I'm sure of it!" he encouraged. Five more minutes went on like this: the girl's crying and Harley's encouraging. Eventually the girl felt better enough to decide to train, to which Harley agreed. When the girl left, Shu snapped:

"You can't just give other people bad advice, just so you don't have to work in order to make it through." Harley smirked.

"Whatever do you mean? I was simply offering my own advice. That's not against the rules, you know." he defended. Haruka glared.

"Your 'advice' is making other coordinators mess up!"

"Now, now," he said. "It's all in the past, and we have other matters to move onto. The order is alphabetical, and according to this list, 'Nagano' is next." he said, eyeing Shu.

Shu continued to glare for a few seconds, before standing up and beginning to walk towards the stage.

"Break a leg!" Harley called and added "Literally..." in a quieter tone. Haruka ignored him and watched the screen, where already Marian was introducing him.

"And next up, all the way from La Rouse city, Hoenn, Shu Nagano!"

The crowd cheered, awaiting his performance.

"Arcanine! Sawsbuck! Let's go!" he called, throwing his pokéballs in the air. Arcanine and Sawsbuck emerged, each on opposite ends of the stage. Each just as majestic as the other. "Arcanine, use Fire Blast! Sawsbuck, Energy Ball!"

The two pokemon obeyed. The Energy Ball was enveloped by the Fire Blast, causing the two attacks to combine as it floated up to the top.

"Arcanine, use smoke screen!" he demanded. Soon, the entire stage was filled with smoke.

Next to Haruka, Harley laughed.

"What a rookie mistake!" he belittled. Haruka didn't say a word, and instead continued to watch the screen. She knew Shu had something up his sleeve.

"Sawsbuck, use Solarbeam!" From the smoke, emerged a beam of light, which hit the Energy Ball/Fire Blast fusion attack, causing it to explode. As the fire dropped down to the stage, the audience, as well as Haruka, looked down to the pokemon. She gasped. The entire display was a simple diversion. She didn't know how he did it, but Sawsbuck was surrounded by flames, while petals and leaves circled Arcanine. Both seemed to almost be shimmering, as they stood with the pride of a king.

Next to her, Harley rolled his eyes.

"Big deal, so the pokemon glow. Oooh, magical" he mocked. Haruka ignored him, and continued to watch. It was more than that. Watching these pokemon was like watching a famous idol in real life. You couldn't pull away.

The judges seemed impressed. They scored him a 27.8 average. He bowed and walked off of the stage, into the locker rooms.

"Shu!" Haruka called. He glanced her way as she ran towards him. "Shu, that was amazing!" Shu smirked.

"I guess it was, huh?" he replied. Harley wrapped his arm around the two.

"If you think that was great, just wait til you see mine!" he said. The two didn't respond, which seemed to be fine with Harley, as he walked away towards the stage.

"This should be interesting..." Shu mumbled, as the two walked to their seats. Haruka nodded.

"And now," the MC announced. "Put your hands together for Harley Nakamura, from Slateport city, Hoenn!"

Harley came onto the stage offering kisses to the audience.

"Mua! Mua! Thank you, thank you!" With that, he pulled out two pokéballs and tossed them. "Ariados! Houndoom! Come out, my beauties!"

Before the audience emerged a giant spider type creature and a hellhound type dog.

"Spin your web, Ariados!" Harley ordered. Ariados quickly filled the stage with its web, making itself at home, as it strung down.

Haruka felt her eye twitch.

"That's...creepy..." she commented.

As the Ariados fell from its web, Harley issued his next order:

"Will-o-wisp!"

Houndoom let out 3 flames each going off into their own direction. The flame started burning the web in a spiral shaped motion.

"How's that for impressive!" he said. The judges nodded their head in approval, but ultimately award him with a 24.3. "What?!" Harley exclaimed, angrily.

As he stormed into the locker room, he shouted out many things along the lines of

"Doesn't know what they're talking about...I ought a show them what...that'll teach them..."

Haruka shook her head in disappointment. On the other hand, Shu smirked.

"Someone give you bad advice Harley?" he mocked.

"Why, you little!" Harley snapped, through his teeth.

"Anyway!" Shu interrupted, no longer caring for the antics of the purple haired man. He looked at the list. "You'll be going up soon, too, right, Haruka?" Haruka also looked at the list, searching for her name.

"Hm..it looks like Tanaka is 27 appeals away. That's in about 54 minutes." she said.

"Guess well just have to wait then..." Shu stated. Harley glared.

"I can't wait to see what type of appeal Tenta came up with." he said, sarcastically.

* * *

Twenty six appeals later, it was Haruka's turn. She was nervous. She'd watched some incredible appeals, all of which made her nervousness worse. Haruka walked up to the stage. It never mattered many times she walked upon the stage grounds, the butterflies she felt in her stomach always came. She pulled out two pokéballs, each inside of capsules, containing the seals Yuki gave her during lunch.

"Blaziken! Glaceon! Stage on!" she called. The two pokemon came out of their pokéballs, a shining display of hearts surrounding them. She wasn't sure how the judges would react to them. The seals didn't match her performance at all, but Yuki had begged her to use them, saying "I want to be a part of your last performance."

"Blaziken! Overheat! Glaceon! Blizzard!" she ordered. "Just as we practiced!"

Blaziken and Glaceon each took their place on opposite ends. Blaziken and Glaceon both seemed in a moment of concentration, when suddenly, a fiery blaze and a snowy ice surrounded them respectively. Their attacks filled the opposite side if the stage, causing a wave-like pattern. The audience was awed by the power of each move, the balance of each side. Glaceon was surrounded by fire, while Blaziken was surrounded by ice. After a few seconds, the power behind the moves slowed down, at the same pace. Soon, the only remnants that the performance had ever taken place were the exhausted pokemon, breathing heavily.

Haruka turned towards the judges.

"A stunning performance...but the seals may not have been your best choice."

Overall, Haruka received a 25.7, a score lower than what it could have been, thanks to the seals she'd used. She returned her pokemon, thanking them, then walked off of the stage, into the locker room. She was greeted with Shu, looking quite disappointed.

"What was that?" he confronted, referring to the seals she'd used.

"Oh, uhm..." She began fiddling with her thumbs. "Yuki gave me some seals, and I thought they'd be kinda-"

"Harukaaaa!"

Shu's shoulders tensed. He watched, as Haruka's attention drifted from himself to Yuki. He turned to meet him as well.

"What are you doing in here." he said, glaring. Yuki grinned.

"I came to see my girlfriend!" he replied. Haruka covered her face with her hands.

"Yuki, I told you to stay in the audience." she said.

"Section E of the pre-contest rules states that anyone who isn't competing in the contest can't be in the locker room, except for emergencies." Shu stated. "It was added last year."

Yuki rolled his eyes.

"Calm down, I'm sure Haruka's not gonna kicked out of the contest because I came to give her something."

"You already lowered her score, what else do you want..." Shu mumbled. Haruka glanced at Shu.

"Do you mind?" she asked. Shu gave a huff and walked away.

He had had enough of this guy. He takes Haruka out of contests, then ruins the last one she'll have. Deep down, he knew this wasn't the main reason he was mad at this Yuki guy. Shu sat down in his seat, next to Harley.

"Who's the hunk over there?" Harley piped up.

"Her boyfriend." Shu revealed, without thinking. Harley seemed interested.

"Ooh, is that so? And you're not pleased?" he asked, greedy for information. He didnt reply, too lost in thought.

Over the years, his crush on her went beyond what he thought it would. Even then, he never imagined it would go as far as to cause his downright hatred of someone. He'd never let something get the best of him in that way, other than coordinating.

He snuck glances at the couple, noting that they did look like the perfect pair. He hated this: Watching how happy she was, just talking to him, even if she wasn't trying to convey that. It was as though even though she tried to look angry, she couldn't. The two joked in a way that seemed as though everything they spoke were some kind of inside joke. Suddenly, Yuki did something that seemed to mock the very being of Shu himself: he pulled out a rose.

* * *

Haruka looked at the rose with such shock. She didn't understand why this item coming from Yuki had illicit such a response.

"What is this?" she asked. He chuckled.

"It's a rose, silly." he told her, gesturing for her to take it. She took it from him, but kept it at a distance, as though it were a foreign object, before handing it back.

"Yuki, I don't think I can take this." She told him.

"Huh? Haruka, it's just a flower." he said, attempting to hand it back. She shook her head.

"It's not just a flower..." she explained. She kissed his cheek. "Maybe I'll explain one day."

"Uh...okay, I guess..." he said, confused.

"The judges just introduced Watanabe. That's the last one." she told Yuki. "That means they'll be doing the eliminations soon. Go back to the audience. I'll meet you later."

Yuki nodded. He gave her a quick peck and told her good luck. She watched, as he walked away, throwing the rose away in a nearby trash can.

* * *

Shu and Harley had watched the whole thing. As she walked back, the two both looked away, in attempts to avoid suspicion. Still, Shu couldn't help but feel satisfied that she denied the rose from Yuki. He felt hopeful.

"Did you get rid of him?" he asked. She nodded.

"I'm almost positive he'll be back after the eliminations though." she told them.

"So," Harley cut in. "That hunk, huh?" Haruka, as always, simply attempted to ignore him, as the judges decided who had the top scores. She didn't want Harley being involved in her love life, especially given his reputation. The three turned towards the screen.

"There you have it, folks!" Marian announced, pointing above her to the stadium's screen. "The 64 coordinators who will make it to the next round!"

As the camera zoomed in to the screen, Haruka, Harley, and Shu scanned for their picture.

They appeared one at a time. Each time their pictures weren't displayed, they grew even more anxious.

Finally, Shu's picture showed, near the middle. Shu sat back in his seat, and folded his arms, satisfied. He continued to watch for Haruka's picture.

The pictures continued to appear. Each one was like a let down to Haruka. But the pictures were already nearing the end. Could it be she didn't make it? Just as her shoulders began to slump, she finally saw her picture: exactly 7 places from the last; 57th place.

Relief overwhelmed her. She sat back in her seat, her heart pounding, before realization hit her. She looked at Harley, who was staring at the screen in horror. He didn't make it past the first round.

"How...how can this be?" he asked life itself. "I don't understand..." The sight was so depressing, even she felt compelled to comfort him.

"It'll be fine, Harley. There's always next-" Before she got a chance to finish, Harley stormed off, angrily. The duo stared after him.

"We'll," said Shu. "Maybe he'll learn 'Cheaters never win'."

"Tomorrow night," Marian said, on the screen. "There will be a formal coordinator-exclusive party! All contestants and only contestants are invited! For the folks who aren't coordinators and are here to see their friends, no worries to you, because there will be another party, anyone invited, after the Grand Festival!"

Haruka and Shu looked at each other.

"A party, huh?" Shu said. "Sounds interesting." Haruka grinned.

"And it's a formal, too! Will you go?" She asked. He shrugged.

"I don't see why not. We can go together." Shu suggested. Haruka blushed at the thought of the two dancing.

"But what about Yuki?"

"It's coordinators only. He couldn't go anyway." he told her, slightly annoyed that she'd brought him up.

"Okay, then, I guess you and I will go together." she accepted.

"Okay, then." he agreed. With that, he gave her a rose. She stared at it, not expecting it. It had been awhile since she received one from him. She accepted it, and gave him a quick smile before he walked away.

She looked at the rose, twisting it in her fingers.

"It's not just a flower..." She whispered.

* * *

A/N: Sorry the actual performances weren't all that great, but seeing as I'm not a coordinator, theres not much I can do there. The next chapter may be where I changed the rating. It's also where the shipping will be more evident. Opinions and heavy criticism welcome.


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